The last few months may not seem like the best time to launch a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign for an expensive gadget but that hasn’t hampered tech startup TG0. Having begun the campaign in April for its finger tracking controller etee, it has come to a close today raising almost double the intended target.
Initially aiming to raise £45,900 GBP, that goal was easily hit with a couple of weeks. The close of the campaign has seen £90,650 achieved, and four stretch goals surpassed; making the etee handle design open source, a tutorial videogame called eteeRoom, Unreal Engine SDK compatibility and a Develop Programme.
Hand and finger tracking is becoming far more ubiquitous in the consumer field of late, spurred on by devices like Valve’s Index controllers and Oculus Quest’s hand tracking feature. TG0’s etee controllers come in two flavours, the original 3DOF etee model for developers and then the reason for the Kickstarter, the 6DOF etee controller which is SteamVR compatible.
Both models feature a button free design, haptic feedback, a thumb trackpad to simulate a joystick and of course complete finger tracking – which includes features like pressure sensing. TG0 isn’t a controller company by default, originally creating interactive surfaces for other companies using its patented tech.
During the campaign TG0 has showcased the etee controllers working with a variety of high profile virtual reality (VR) videogames including Half-Life: Alyx, Beat Saber, Boneworks and more.
With the campaign now over the focus is towards the end of 2020, with TG0 aiming to begin shipping the etee DevKits from October while the etee SteamVR controllers expected to ship in December. The company isn’t stopping there however, funding will continue over on Indiegogo InDemand soon for those still wishing to support etee.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of etee, reporting back with the latest announcements and updates.
via Mint VR